|
The Holy Spirit
by Henry Miranda There has been much confusion over the identity of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps some of this dates back to the King James translation of the Bible where the word "spirit" or "ghost" was used instead of "breath" or "wind" of God. Many people throughout the ages have thought of the Holy Spirit more as a thing than a person. Nothing could be further from the truth! And in fact, as we begin to know the personal person of the Holy Spirit, we will want to have a closer relationship with Him just as we would the Father or Son. Although the word Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible, we know God is three in one. They are three very distinct persons that make up the Godhead. They are all equal in every way. They are the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. And they are all Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Eternal, and Equal. Luke 1:35, Psalms 139:7, 1 Corinthians 2:10, Hebrews 9:14, Acts 5:3-4. We cannot focus on the Holy Spirit too much. Why? Because the Holy Spirit's mission is to reveal Jesus. What is Jesus's missionto reveal the Father. The Father send Jesus and the Holy Spirit so that we can come to Him in perfect harmony. Only the Holy Spirit can overcome the blindness and deceitfulness of the sinful, human heart and cause a man to realize the greatness of his own iniquity. As Christians we must rely upon the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be able to resist evil. Our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit which dwells within us. Because of this that we have of God, we are not our own. Only the Holy Spirit can overcome the blindness and deceitfulness of the sinful human heart and cause a man to realize the greatness of his own iniquity. As Christians we must rely upon the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be able to resist evil. Our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit When we become born-again Christians God places his seal of ownership upon us. The seal of God's ownership is the Holy Spirit indwelling in our hearts. The Holy Spirit regenerated our hearts and the life of Christ is imparted to us. The Holy Spirit will never leave us. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus. The Holy Spirit is in the person God present with in us. When we commit ourselves to God in Christ by faith, God enters into our hearts in the person of the Holy Spirit and transform our nature and disposition. The Holy Spirit makes such a radical change in us that our whole personality is bent on doing the will of God. The Holy Spirit is an active agent in our progress towards God. We can enjoy the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit as we believe God's word and yield to the Holy Spirit. We do things through the power of the Holy Spirit rather than through our own abilities. Because He is a Person: He can be grieved, and sinned against, He reveals, searches, and knows He evaluates situations, and Inflicts punishment. The work of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the truth of God's words to our hearts. Christ's is not restricted to a position in heaven; he dwells in our hearts. Jesus dwells in us in the same way that the comforter dwells in us. The promise comforter abides with us forever. The ministry or work of the Holy Spirit is not as visibly prominent as that of the Father and the Son, because his work is never to call attention to himself. Some of the Holy Spirit works: Teaching: John 14:26 ( NKJV ) "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." Reproving and convicting: John 16:8-11 (NKJV) "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." Regenerating: John 3:5 (NKJV) "Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Comforting: John 14:6 (NKJV) "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Renewing: Titus 3:5 (NKJV) "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit," Guiding into all truth: John 16:13 ( NKJV ) "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. " Empowering Matthew 28:19-20 ( NKJV ) "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.:" Testifying: John 15:26 (NKJV) "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. His presence in the believer constitutes a seal, a guarantee of salvation: Ephesians 1:13 (NKJV) "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise," Ephesians 4:30 (NKJV) "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. and an initiation into the body of Christ" 1 Corinthians 12:13 (NKJV) "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodywhether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or freeand have all been made to drink into one Spirit." In our Christian daily life, the Holy Spirit is the source of virtues: Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) "22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." Although the baptism by the Holy Spirit is the initial experience of all believers, it is commanded that Christians keep on being filled ("controlled") by the spirit. If you want God to be in control of your life, you must be willing to let go of your plans and be willing to follow God's plans. We must be willing to let the Holy Spirit make the necessary changes in our life in order to turn us around from the world's way of thinking to God's plans and purpose for our lives. We must quit holding onto our own plans. Ask yourself this question. Are you willing to let the Holy Spirit lead you and guide you? Are you willing to trust that God will lead you through all situations? We must truly believe that the Holy Spirit is the power of God. We are nothing without God, but through the Holy Spirit we can do all things. Romans 5:5 (NKJV) "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." In order to summarize the biblical teaching on the Holy Spirit, three indispensable truths must be affirmed, namely: 1. He is a Person, 2. He is God 3. He abides with you forever The Holy Spirit himself inspired the profits and the writers of the Scriptures. Evangelist Henry Miranda earned a Bachelor of Christian Ministry degree @ Christian Leadership University. Evangelist Henry Miranda is a Bible Teacher, Author, and Guest Speaker and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, has written ten books. You can reach @ //www.evangelize-for-jesus-ministries.co Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |